The BBC are not alone (Sky and ITV also refuse to air their appeal ads for humantirian aid to gaza) but the instructions came from the newly appointed DG (Tzipi Livni " There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza" - she told President Sarkozy), her instructions were conveyed ina an urgent telephone call from President O'Bomber in a call to "I am a Zionist" Brown.

David "I am a Zionist" Cameron and his pals have remained curiously silent on the issue.

Friday, December 26, 2008 Obama "the first Jewish president" - has a deep understanding of issues that confront Israel and the Jewish community - Alan Solow .. Alan Solow, is an attorney (Goldberg ,Cohn) from Chicago. He is a widely respected leader of the Jewish community. He was inaugurated as Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations early this month .. At a democratic forum In Cleveland , Ohio , in October 2008, 700 people heard Alan Solow and Denis Ross, Middle East advisor to Obama, and previously director for policy planning in the State Department under President George H. W. Bush and special Middle East coordinator under President Bill Clinton as well a co- founder of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) reassured Jewish voters that Obama would not only strengthen Israel’s security but also do a far better job of it than his rival Sen. John McCain.

16 comments:

Hi there. Krishnan here (and by the way it is me most weekends from now) and we're on at our new regular weekend time of 6.30pm for half an hour.

The BBC is under siege over its decision to boycott a Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for the people of Gaza and one has to think they will be 'reviewing their decision'.

Channel 4, ITV and Five have decided to go ahead and show a TV appeal on Monday night to raise awareness of the appalling suffering of those civilians caught in the recent fighting. So the BBC is looking increasingly isolated.

Having fronted a DEC appeal for the former Yugoslavia, perhaps my own impartiality on this story is open to question, but it is hard to find anyone who doesn't think this is a mistake at the BBC.

No doubt they have honourable intentions - there will be no conspiracy to let Palestinians suffer and no desire to be anything but fair. But in taking this stand the BBC have politicised a charity appeal that has always been unimpeachable in its integrity.

The DEC charities have always helped people in complex conflict situations - apart from the former Yugoslavia appeal in the 1990s there have been appeals for Darfur, Congo and Kosovo in recent years.

Nobody has ever questioned the BBC's integrity as a result. Their sensitivity is understandable - there are very powerful lobby groups on all sides of this conflict and they are well organised.

All big media organisations are well used to the write-in and phone-in campaigns in favour of or against a particular report when it comes to the Middle East.

But it appears that fear of being criticised by the pro-Israeli side has pushed the BBC's bosses into the unfortunate position they are in today, with pro-Palestinian people and those who are totally impartial, uniting to condemn the decision as a bad one.

It wouldn't matter so much if there wasn't so much at stake - but with children being amongst the worst affected by the devastation in Gaza, the humanitarian need there is enormous. And being a small place with a small population it is a problem that can effectively be tackled.

The DEC is a collection of leading charities who work with local partners - and the decision on launching a major appeal is taken at a committee involving the BBC, ITV, Sky and the charities. Channel 4 was not involved but decided to get involved after seeing the controversial decision.

Tonight Carl Dinnen will have the report of the appeal, while Inigo Gilmore will have a report from Gaza. He has been filming in Rafah with the Islamic Relief charity and has been examining to what extent the aid effort in Gaza is independent of Hamas.

We will also be talking to the International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander who is calling on the BBC to change its mind, and the number three executive at the BBC Caroline Thompson, who has been out representing the views of her boss Mark Thompson (no relation) today.

Don't miss it--all about Thompsonjust some of it"Later that day he told BBC staff, via an internal televised message, that deception of the public was never acceptable. He said that he, himself, had never deceived the public - it would never have occurred to him to do so, and that he was sure that the same applied to the "overwhelming majority" of BBC staff. He also spoke on BBC News 24BBC News 24

BBC News 24 is BBC News' 24-hour news television channel in the UK, its international counterpart being BBC World.... and was interviewed by Gavin EslerGavin Esler

Gavin Esler is a BBC television presenter.... for NewsnightNewsnight

Newsnight is a British daily news analysis, current affairs and politics programme broadcast between 22:30 and 23:20 on .... He stated that "from now on, if it [deceiving the public] happens we will show people the door." Staff were emailed on 19 July 2007 and later in the year all staff, including the Director-General undertook an honesty training course."

She fails under two heads1. As having been married to me.2. Even temporarily having enjoyed the fruits of my loins

Reading her BBC hagiography I am therefore relieved .."Under her leadership, evasion was brought to an all-time estimated low of five per cent.

In 2004, Zarin Patel was declared 'Client Marketer of the Year' by London-based direct marketing trade magazine Precision Marketing, an accolade that recognised her skills at spearheading the marketing operation of TV Licensing. "

The concept that you "maket" a product which is madated by law under sufference of financial of 1,000's of £s and penalties even of imprisonment adds and extends to my meagre understanding of the term marketing.

Postie at one time worked at saatchtie and satchie with a poisonous dwarf called Morrrie Tabak who claimed the ultimate copylne was .." Buy this product ....or you will die !!!"

The BBC "Licence" is marginally less attractive as a product.

Curiously it is not only Postie's birthday but also the renewal day of the domestic licence (thoughtfully paid by Mrs Postie) - I am therefore making the annual empty gesture of refsuing to pay the licence fee.